centuries of being hunted, persecuted. Were you to offer your resignation, it might go some way to your being accepted by the pack.â
She looked away, then drew in a deep breath. âI canât do that.â When her eyes met his again, Caleb noticed that the fire in them was down to a mere simmer. âMy jobâs important to me, and before you start spouting on about me being a part of the pack now and that my priority should be to demonstrate my commitment, just try and understand that itâs hard for me to make all these adjustments. Iâve been conditioned to believe thereâs no reason women canât have a husband and a career, and that getting married doesnât mean we have to give up who we are.â
She sighed, her shoulders dropping a little. âI really want to make this work. I want to be Joshuaâs wife and do my duty. But I refuse to give up myself and everything Iâve worked for to make that happen. At least, not when I donât have to.â
Which meant she would remain an unknown entity, Caleb thought. A volatile mix of her world and theirs, and at any moment something could sway her back to her own people, culture and ways and put their community in jeopardy.
âThatâs your last word on it?â
She nodded. âIt is.â
Caleb couldnât trust himself to continue pushing her to see reason. His own temper was barely strapped. âSo be it.â
He treated her to a hard glare before turning on his heel and storming out of her office.
Fuck. He needed air.
Talia waited until the door closed behind Caleb before sinking back in her chair. What in Godâs name was that?
The man was a veritable powerhouse of demand. She should do this, behave like that. Who did he think he was? Okay, he was now pack leader, but Josh hadnât behaved like that for the short while heâd assumed the role.
Since the Principals had officially welcomed Caleb back as leader, things had grown even tenser between her and her husband. She could hardly blame him. It wasnât easy for any man, let alone one with Joshuaâs penchant for power, to simply step down from the exalted heights of leadership and accept a new regime. She wasnât exactly sure how to deal with it. Her attempts to placate Josh had met with mild hostility, and she wasnât about to put herself in the middle of a pissing match between the two brothers.
She stood, pushed her chair behind her desk, and walked to the front window. Caleb strode down the street, his body surprisingly lithe for such a big man. Despite the nature of their conversation, she hadnât been able to stop herself from reacting to him. She was angry, yes, but it was impossible to deny the feelings he provoked, the way he set her alight with his sheer magnetism and virility.
He was certainly a hard-ass. Had he been that way before he went to South America? Aside from Joshua, there really wasnât anyone she could ask. All Josh had told her was that it was Calebâs duty, as the eldest son of their leader, to head a team made up of the firstborn sons of each family within the community. They were tasked to go wherever they were required in order to support other shifter communities needing help. Each man had been specially trained, and it was a requirement that they undertake regular army training before undergoing further specialist training under Calebâs command. The team had been called to South America to assist a clan that had come under attack by radicals who had been stirring up trouble for several months. Things had finally come to a head when several families under the protection of the South American pack had been murdered.
Thankfully, every one of Calebâs team had returned to England, but with them, theyâd brought the disturbing news that Caleb had been captured. Months passed with no demand for ransom, or indeed any further news of him. Mindful that their pack needed
She looked away, then drew in a deep breath. âI canât do that.â When her eyes met his again, Caleb noticed that the fire in them was down to a mere simmer. âMy jobâs important to me, and before you start spouting on about me being a part of the pack now and that my priority should be to demonstrate my commitment, just try and understand that itâs hard for me to make all these adjustments. Iâve been conditioned to believe thereâs no reason women canât have a husband and a career, and that getting married doesnât mean we have to give up who we are.â
She sighed, her shoulders dropping a little. âI really want to make this work. I want to be Joshuaâs wife and do my duty. But I refuse to give up myself and everything Iâve worked for to make that happen. At least, not when I donât have to.â
Which meant she would remain an unknown entity, Caleb thought. A volatile mix of her world and theirs, and at any moment something could sway her back to her own people, culture and ways and put their community in jeopardy.
âThatâs your last word on it?â
She nodded. âIt is.â
Caleb couldnât trust himself to continue pushing her to see reason. His own temper was barely strapped. âSo be it.â
He treated her to a hard glare before turning on his heel and storming out of her office.
Fuck. He needed air.
Talia waited until the door closed behind Caleb before sinking back in her chair. What in Godâs name was that?
The man was a veritable powerhouse of demand. She should do this, behave like that. Who did he think he was? Okay, he was now pack leader, but Josh hadnât behaved like that for the short while heâd assumed the role.
Since the Principals had officially welcomed Caleb back as leader, things had grown even tenser between her and her husband. She could hardly blame him. It wasnât easy for any man, let alone one with Joshuaâs penchant for power, to simply step down from the exalted heights of leadership and accept a new regime. She wasnât exactly sure how to deal with it. Her attempts to placate Josh had met with mild hostility, and she wasnât about to put herself in the middle of a pissing match between the two brothers.
She stood, pushed her chair behind her desk, and walked to the front window. Caleb strode down the street, his body surprisingly lithe for such a big man. Despite the nature of their conversation, she hadnât been able to stop herself from reacting to him. She was angry, yes, but it was impossible to deny the feelings he provoked, the way he set her alight with his sheer magnetism and virility.
He was certainly a hard-ass. Had he been that way before he went to South America? Aside from Joshua, there really wasnât anyone she could ask. All Josh had told her was that it was Calebâs duty, as the eldest son of their leader, to head a team made up of the firstborn sons of each family within the community. They were tasked to go wherever they were required in order to support other shifter communities needing help. Each man had been specially trained, and it was a requirement that they undertake regular army training before undergoing further specialist training under Calebâs command. The team had been called to South America to assist a clan that had come under attack by radicals who had been stirring up trouble for several months. Things had finally come to a head when several families under the protection of the South American pack had been murdered.
Thankfully, every one of Calebâs team had returned to England, but with them, theyâd brought the disturbing news that Caleb had been captured. Months passed with no demand for ransom, or indeed any further news of him. Mindful that their pack needed
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